4 Questions you need to ask yourself before blogging

In this article, we will tackle some questions that you need to ask yourself before you start blogging.

1. What do you really want to do?

Before you start setting up your blog, it will be essential for you to ponder on several matters first before pushing through with it. Ask yourself the primary reason or motivation behind your desire to establish your own blog. Is it just a spur of the moment idea? Or, do you really want to achieve something concrete through your blog?

A lot of interested bloggers want to enter the world of blogging simply because they want to be part of the blogging hype. Similar to fly-by-night business operations, these kinds of bloggers typically don’t last for more than two months. On the other hand, the more serious aspiring bloggers have a very strong motivation at the back of their heads. The top two motivations are usually money and education; and these reasons are usually more than enough for them to come up with a real blog.

To be able to feed your blog with constant posts and earn a constantly increasing audience, it is essential for you to come up with a blog theme that caters to a certain niche that is anchored on your motivation. This way it will be easier for you to come up with entries that focus on a certain subject matter that interests you.

Similar to any undertakings in life, it is important for you to come up with a solid foundation that you can build on while improving your blog in the long run.

2. What can you offer others that no one else can?

Needless to say, a lot of bloggers have already gone way ahead of you in terms of capturing their share of audience and establishing a name for themselves in the world of blogging. The challenge for you now is to come up with a blog that will not replicate their feat, but rather zoom way ahead of them by offering something fresh, unique, and different. Capitalize on your advantage as a new blogger by coming up with innovative ideas.

Also, do your homework. Research about your competition and determine what else you can offer to your audience that they do not. Fill in the void that they are unable to do so for their readers. Always remember that in this fast-paced world, people are always in search for something new. The blogger who is able to consistently satisfy this demand will gain the biggest share of audience in the end.

3. Are you willing to invest time and commitment?

Time is undeniably one essential resource that all bloggers must invest in their blogs. On the average, it takes 2 hours to come up with a quality blog post. It takes time to think, to write, and to edit your work. Aside from the actual time you put into writing, also consider the amount of time that you will need to invest on researching about the latest trends to create more relevant blog posts and for you not to run out of ideas. Ideally, a blogger must have at least two blog posts in a week. Of course, it’s better to have as much posts as possible. This is to ensure that the audience’s interests will not wane and they will come back to your blog regularly.

Furthermore, your willingness to invest time is just one area of consideration; you must also consider the extent of your commitment in terms of maintaining the number of hours you have set consistently week after week. Initially, you might be able to set aside 5-8 hours a week for your blog since you are still fired up with the whole idea of starting your own blog. But, how far can you go? Can you consistently allot 5-8 hours a week for the next six months or even a year?

The extent of your commitment to constantly update your blog will ultimately determine the success of your blog in terms of achieving your initial goal in the long run.

4. How do you intend to sustain the blog?

You might have the time and the commitment to pursue a blog. But, money is also a requirement. Think about your family’s finances. Are they more than enough to give you the freedom to enjoy blogging? To come up with a competitive blog, you must invest on graphics, plugins, and even online courses.

Professional bloggers earn money through blogging. However, it takes time to build a personal brand for your blog and develop a blog that readers will consider worthy of visiting regularly, which in turn will generate profits from advertisers. In your quest to monetize your blog, always remember not to sacrifice your personal brand and your reader’s trust.

Blogging is fun. Whether you simply want to try it out or want to achieve something concrete, the internet world will always have a space for your ideas and insights. It’s all up to you whether you have the passion, desire, and commitment to utilize the opportunity provided by that space.

Author bio:

Alexis Thompson is a former Mountain Backpacker and a 26 year old mother of 2 daughters, Sophie and Rhian. She is into almost all types of Music especially The Fray and Hillsong. She also has a passion in Singing and Scrap Booking. Follow her escapades on her Twitter.